Saturday, December 31, 2005

Disney Echoes Vegas Review Journal

Disney Echoes Vegas Review Journal
Posted on BattleBornNews.com Saturday 31 December 2005

Today the Las Vegas Review Journal published a story stating what I have said for months; that I will fight to repeal two bad laws for every new bill I propose on the floor of the Nevada Assembly. It is refreshing to think that I am promoting an idea that is getting so much coverage on a state level in the preceding days and weeks.

I think it is uplifting that the idea of eliminating two old laws for every new one is being promoted by the editorial staff of the Las Vegas Review Journal. Too bad it was an editorial staff piece so we cannot see the individual author. I would like to shake the author’s hand. As the first legislative candidate to promise a repeal of two bad laws for every new bill, I applaud the article. I am not surprised that they did not tie my name to the concept. I just wish they would have identified another source in the wilderness trumpeting a great idea, because the other source for ideas on smaller government is on this very site.

The 65 Percent Solution

The 65 Percent Solution
Posted by Chuck Muth on BattleBornNew.com Saturday 31 December 2005

Patrick Byrne, founder of Overstock.com, is leading a national effort to require that at least 65 percent of money spent on education actually goes into, get this…classrooms. Several states are already considering “First Class Education” (www.firstclasseducation.org) ballot initiatives, with the goal to have such a requirement in place in all 50 states by 2008.

The national average for in-classroom spending, according to figures compiled by the federal government’s National Center for Education Statistics, is 61 percent. Supporters of the proposal estimate that if the 65 percent requirement was in place in every state, an additional $14 billion would be available for teachers and kids. “That’s enough to buy every K-12 student in America a desktop computer or to hire 300,000 more teachers at a starting salary of $40,000 a year,” First Class Education maintains. “Most states would add hundreds of millions of dollars each year to the classroom. All of this without a tax increase!”

The idea has already been embraced by Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Democrat Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as well as Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell - in addition to national conservative leaders such as Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform and my old boss, David Keene, over at the American Conservative Union. Indeed, who could possibly argue with the idea of putting more money into classrooms without a tax increase?

The unions, of course.

Kay Coles of the National Education Association told Roll Call that the teachers union is “certainly letting our members know that it’s a bad public policy.” The NEA complains that First Class Education doesn’t increase spending, but “rearranges it.” And the administrators union is even more opposed, since money redirected to the classroom would likely mean cut-backs on unnecessary dues-paying non-teachers who seem to pop up and grow like weeds in every school district around the country.

Richard Disney, a Republican assembly candidate in District 26 (Washoe County), has already announced that, if elected, he’ll propose First Class Education legislation which would require that 65 cents of every education dollar in Nevada be kept in the classroom. It would be nice to see all of the state’s gubernatorial and legislative candidates, Republican and Democrat alike, endorse this proposal in their own campaigns.

It’s for the children, after all.

Friday, December 30, 2005

The Right Vision for the Nevada

I have spoken to many conservative Nevadans who have simply lost the zeal for voting and making a difference.

We ARE different. We are as different when compared to the other States of The Union as The Colonies were to Jolly Old England! We must remain DIFFERENT!

We in the State of Nevada have been known as having the least amount of regulation, the least amount of taxes and the most freedom. That is the reason; so many people are still flocking to our state. I am dedicated to giving people hope in our state, hope that we will not become like the other states, hope that we will remain different. I will fight to repeal two bad laws for every new bill I bring to the floor of the Assembly. I will fight to keep Nevada from becoming an entitlement state like California. It has been said that when people discover that they can vote themselves a raise from the public treasury, that it is the beginning of the end of the American experiment. Well I am depending on true Nevadans to resist the trend of the nation. Many states in The Union are on the brink of bankruptcy because they continually vote themselves pay raises. We must keep the majority of the money in this state in the hands of business owners, because that is how more people stay employed and prosperous.

The fantasy of the left is that the government will provide everything anyone could ever need. The danger in the government providing for all need is that any government big enough to provide anything is also big enough to take anything away. The reality is that there are basically three groups of people, those who are dependent on the government who think that the government can do no wrong, those who are working their butts off to make ends meet and to pay the way for those dependent on the government, and then those who are financially independent. I am writing this for those Nevadans and Americans who are working their butts off to make ends meet and to pay the way for those dependent on government. There is no free lunch and those dependent on the government to pay their lunch are actually dependent on those working their butts off. I am to keep more money in the pockets of those working to make ends meet. I aim to keep more money in the pockets of the producers. I truly believe that individuals and not governments know the best use for their money. Nobody deserves money like those who work for it.

For those of you who work hard for every dollar you earn, I am here to fight for you to keep it. The vision for the future of Nevada does not belong to the liberals or the wishy-washy Harry Reid Republicans, it belongs to Nevadans and Americans who work and earn for their families. The future vision of Nevada and the United States belongs to those who believe in an ownership society and not an entitlement society. I will go on the record everyday as the one who fights for those who earned it rather than those who received it from the government. Those of you who work and earn daily, do not lose faith. Continue to vote. Many conservatives have told me that they find it difficult to continue voting or urging others to vote when those who get into office are just voting for tax increases and more regulation. I tell you that the tide is changing. I feel great positive change coming about. I used to think that I was the only one who thought this way, but I am finding that we are not alone. In fact, we are the majority. If you shout at your television nightly, we are on the same side. Don’t give up. Get out and take action!

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Hurray for the Pack Patriot!

Posted on BattleBornNews.com Wednesday 28 December 2005

After reading the latest issue of the Pack Patriot, I am enthusiastic about the future of conservatism! The Pack Patriot is published each month by the University of Nevada College Republicans and is a needed voice of opposition on a campus saturated by liberal voices. With a combination of witty irreverent humor and sometimes shocking photos, the journalists of the Pack Patriot expose the conformist liberals to a good dose of reality.

For the last 20 years the easiest way to “go-along-to-get-along” on college campuses has been to follow the herd mentality and support the “in” liberal cause of the day or simply to be silent. I am glad to see a vocal group in opposition to the conformist liberal establishment at UNR. I agree with George Higgins, the leader of the self described “Kickass College Republicans”, that,”Nevada elections in 2006 will be won at the grassroots level.” George describes the College Republicans as “the army for conservative ideology on our campuses.” With the establishment of the Pack Patriot, that army now has a loud trumpet.

With a readership in excess of 2,500 monthly and growing, college professors and administrators have had to tone down the blatantly socialist rhetoric and at least consider their positions more carefully. Even if professors keep up their indoctrination attempts, at least now students have a way to voice an opposing view in a public forum. An example of an issue that has been aired out, is the blatantly unconstitutional speech code imposed on UNR students. The university administrators imposed “free speech zones” near the center of campus and acted like they supported free speech. Any thinking person knows of course that if a small zone is imposed where people can freely express themselves then by default the rest of the entire campus is a “non-free-speech-zone.” Becoming a college student does not suspend one’s Constitutional rights.

I am encouraged about the future of Nevada when I consider these students who are motivated to be active and vocal. As George said, “These conservative students are America’s future leaders.”

I highly encourage you to support the UNR College Republicans and the Pack Patriot both morally and financially!

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Disney to Repeal Two Bad Laws for Each New One

Posted on BattleBornNews.com Tuesday 27 December 2005

In the taping session of “Nevada Newsmakers” scheduled to air on January 2, 2006, I was asked by Randi Thompson what my campaign issues were. I responded that my main campaign promise is to repeal two bad laws for every new bill I bring to the floor. I ended my response by saying to Sam Shad and Randi Thompson, “…I’ll bet you have never heard a candidate say that before!” Randi replied without hesitation, “…of course I have…candidates say that all the time!” or words to that effect.

Hindsight as they say is twenty-twenty. If I had it to do over again, I would ask her to mention one example. I could use the help! My reason for making the repeal of two laws for every new law I propose my number one issue is to illustrate that most if not all politicians I have heard speak talk about all the new laws they will pass for their constituents. I think that legislatures across America have become law factories. We don’t need more laws on the books. We have plenty of regulations and laws but as Winston Churchill said, “You can have 10,000 regulations and still not have respect for the law.” I think the greatest job I can do for my constituents is to resist new laws meant to restrict them and repeal law that restrict them now.

I was asked to name some bad laws that I would repeal. I could have filled the entire program with examples of bad laws which should be repealed. There are so many to choose from! The two examples of bad laws I was able to mention before the discussion was pushed onward were the state portion of the gasoline tax and Senate Bill 8 which created the largest tax increase in Nevada’s history. I don’t think most people realize it, but we in Nevada pay the second highest state gasoline tax in the nation and with $800 million plus dollar surplus, we can eliminate the state portion of the gas tax. I agree with Don Gustafson and Sharron Angle when in 2003 they said the tax increase was unnecessary. Senate Bill 8 increased taxes in Nevada by more than $800 million dollars. Now we have a surplus well over $800 million dollars. See any correlation here?

How many taxes have you ever seen that were eliminated? I for one can’t think of any. Even so called “temporary” taxes that are imposed to fix potholes left in the streets of Washoe County after the flood of 1996 are still on the books! I for one am willing to fight to keep more money in the pockets of Nevada Taxpayers. It has gotten to the point where government bureaucrats think that money in your pockets is just government revenue that has not been harvested yet. I will not pretend that there are any legislators or candidates that are like minded with me on the subject of repealing bad laws and eliminating taxes. If you know of anyone who supports me in these ideas, please let me know. We could all use the help!

Richard Disney served as a captain in the U.S. Army and is a candidate for Nevada Assembly District 26.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Harry Reid thinks he is in the House of Lords!

Harry Reid thinks he is in the House of Lords!

Posted on BattleBornNews.com Monday 19 December 2005

I have warned people to beware of Harry Reid Republicans because they supported a man who thinks he is a lord of the manor looking down upon us, the lowly commoners. A very revealing comment was heard from our own senior Nevada Senator as he threatened to filibuster the defense appropriation bill that includes an Alaska drilling provision and to block all of President Bush’s pending nominations.

Harry Reid said, “We’ve become like the House of Commons. Whoever has the most votes wins. It hasn’t worked that way in 216 years.”

House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a year-end legislative package that must be pretty good. The measure I am using to say that the legislative package is good is the anger being thrown at it by Harry Reid. As a Nevadan, I want to throw a light on the attitude Harry Reid has. Harry Reid has always been this way, but it is only in the limelight of being the Senate Minority Leader that he is being exposed for what he really is: a liberal, partisan, elitist.

Harry Reid claims to be “Independent Like Nevada”. That is a false statement. Harry Reid is so close to his allies like, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton that he is not independent at all. Harry Reid definitely does not reflect the values of Nevada. There are many people that even voted for Harry Reid that now cannot believe many of the things coming out of Sen. Reid’s mouth. I know people from other states who admire Nevada from afar as one of the last free states in the nation and ask me how a great state such as ours elected an embarrassment like Harry Reid to represent us. I can only shake my head and tell them that I am dedicated to keeping it from happening again!

I am angered everytime I hear Harry Reid claim that he speaks for all Nevadans. Sen. Reid needs to start talking like a Nevadan instead of a partisan “inside the beltway” Liberal before he claims to speak for Nevadans again.

The advertisements sponsored by the Harry Reid campaign in the last election talked about the kid who grew up in Searchlight, Nevada where everyone called him “Pinky”. Harry Reid’s repeated statements and actions have exposed his true colors.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Support the Disney First Class Education Initiative!

Support the Disney First Class Education Initiative!

Posted on BattleBornNews.com Friday 16 December 2005

I am fully supporting the First Class Education Initiative for Nevada. I will be activly working to make sure that 65 cents of every dollar in the education budget goes to the classroom to benefit our children and teachers. This initiative will bring a huge increase to money going to classrooms without a tax increase. Visit NICPAC for more details.

Help me get this initiative through to make sure money goes directly to Nevada classrooms!
Richard Disney served as a captain in the U.S. Army. Now a Reno based businessman, he is running for Nevada’s 26th Assembly District nested in Washoe County.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Freedom Loving People of Nevada; Speak!

Freedom Loving People of Nevada; Speak!

Posted on BattleBornNews.com Wednesday 14 December 2005

Conservatives of Nevada both North and South, we must all speak out and save our beloved state from turning into California! Clark County is growing rapidly and becoming more and more liberal. That is the perception anyway. I know there are many conservatives in Clark County but you are being drowned out by the louder liberals. Many people (probably the majority) come to Nevada to escape the oppresive tax laws and regulations of their former states and the impression for most newcomers is that Nevada is a bastion of conservative limited government. Unfortunately many Nevadans, new and old are fixated on creating new benefits and entitlements that the state government provides. Then when it comes to taking the tax money from working Nevadans to pay for all of these added benefits people want to tax “not you, not me, but the one behind the tree.” Don’t bring your former state’s policies to Nevada. Don’t turn Nevada into California!

A quotation that is a big warning for Nevadans while we still have time to turn back from the abyss is the following:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess of the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship…. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from great courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependency back again to bondage.”
—Sir Alex Fraser Tytler, 1799Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813) was a Scottish jurist and historian, he was widely known in his time and was professor of Universal History at Edinburgh University in the late 18th century.

Nevadans new and old take head. We are somewhere in the apathetic zone about to tilt over the cliff into dependence on the state and is seems most legislators and other government types are greasing the skids.

We need for every Nevadan that believes that the money in our pockets is NOT part of the Nevada treasury that has not been forcably harvested yet to speak out, write or call your legislators and tell them to maintain Nevada’s reputation as “The Last Free State.” Don’t vote for candidates that promise that they will bring more pork to your district. The best service any politician can give you is to leave you and your money alone!

This is one of my favorite quotes, and it is by Will Rogers, “The only time a man’s life, liberty and property are safe, is when Congress is NOT in session.” That also applies to the Nevada Legislature. I think the fact that the Nevada Legislature meets only 120 days every other year is the main reason we have not yet slid down greased ramp of socialism like California.

I see three main groups of people in Nevada or any state, and they are:

-People dependent on government programs. These people think the government can do no wrong as long as they get their check.

-People working hard to make ends meet AND pay the way for those dependent on government programs. These people are working so hard, they don’t have (or make) time to get involved in public policy.

-People who make enough passive money that they can get involved in public policy on a full or part time basis. Unfortunately this sector is heavily populated by limosine liberals and “Harry Reid Republicans” who don’t mind making more citizens dependent on government programs because it increases their power and influence over the citizenry.

To hold the line of economic freedom from government dependency, people in the middle group must raise their voice and be heard before it is too late. We have unprecidented communications today and because of our remaining capitalistic society, the newest technology is available to the masses. Use it!

Take a few minutes a day to protect what you have!

How many people out there are wearing a shirt with another man’s name on it? Spend at least as much time cheering for you and your family as you do for some sports star that pays a lot of money for security to keep you away!

To protect your own life, liberty and property you must become more active.

I sense a rising tide of Nevadans who are fed up with the continual growth of government and the encroachment of government into our private lives. Just by the growth of this and other columns, I know that more people are becoming involved. I realize that as you read these words, I am probably preaching to the choir. I tell you that now and in the future, just reading what like minded people have to say is not enough! We must all speak out and convince more people to become active conservatives. Demand that your representatives uphold the values of Lower Taxes, Less Government Regulation and Family Values. Especially tell “Harry Reid Republicans” who have strayed away from core conservative values that they will be held accountable for their actions at the ballot box.

Richard Disney served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. His service includes Operation Promote Liberty in Panama and Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. Now a Reno based businessman, he is running for Nevada’s 26th Assembly District nested in Washoe County.

Iraq Voting Going Smoothly, Large Turnout

Hate to say, "I told you so," but...


A.D. in Basra for Pajamas Media

BREAKING AT 6:45am Pacific, by Mohammed of Iraq The Model for Pajamas Media:
Mr. A’adil al-Lami, a chief official in the IECI announced a few minutes ago that voting time will be extended for another hour (till 6 pm) in every polling center where there are many people still standing in lines when the original closing time of 5 pm was reached. Mr. Lami confirmed that there have been some major violations in Kirkuk but most of them taken care of and corrected. No official figures on turnout till now but it is believed to be higher than that of January.
--------
The residents of Basra rushed to the polling centers in great numbers from the early hours of the morning in spite of the thick fog that engulfed the city.We were waiting at the gate of center #932 from 6:30 and it took us a long time to get inside because of the strict security checks. The gate opened exactly at 7 and we were let in but we have learned that there were only certain centers where journalists were allowed to enter.Anyway, the voting process is going on quietly and without complications and we noticed that the station was filled with representatives from various political parties observing the process and watching for any possible violations.There was also strong presence for people from civil society organizations who monitored the procedures of sealing the boxes and recorded the serial numbers of the seals and stamps.Dr. Mohammed Qasim, the manager of the center expects the turnout to be even higher in the afternoon and he highlighted the skills and good training of the officials working with him.I have talked to a number of the voters who were glad to find the polling centers operate in a high level of organization and transparency.The security forces are doing a fine job securing the areas around the 300 polling centers in Basra and there are no reports on incidents of interference with the voting and until now there are no reports on any terror attacks or electoral violations in Basra.One can feel the good security situation when he sees people walking in masses down the streets flying Iraqi flags and chanting for democracy in Iraq.

UPDATED at 6:40AM Pacific:

More and more people are going to the polling centers and the turnout levels have exceeded 84% in some centers. For example in the center that lies in al-Khaleej district, as of 3 pm more than 2650 voters did vote out of 3190 registered total voters for this particular center. The overall turnout is estimated at around 75% in the province.The process is taking place in a democratic and peaceful environment and there are apparently no pressures from political parties on the voters.It has been noticed that some people who live far away from their designated voting centers had a problem in reaching those centers so they asked the officials in the local IECI office to allow them to vote in other near centers; they got no positive response until now because of the strict regulations of the IECI that do not allow people to vote in any place other than the ones they’re originally registered at.
Read more.

Mayor Marv Teixeira Joins RINO Club...

Mayor Marv Teixeira Joins RINO Club…
Posted on Wednesday 14 December 2005

…I hereby nominate the “honorable” Mayor of Carson City, Marv Teixeira as a promising member of the “Harry Reid Republican” ilk.

Mayor Marv Teixeira, one of the Carson School Board “cheerleaders”, seems to have signed on with the wrong party. With a simple search on Google it quickly becomes clear that the alleged Republican prefers the left when it comes to just about ANY political decision he makes.

It took me about 10 minutes to load up on some quotes from various sources that pretty much sum up my point for me.

“It is important to send a united message to the rest of the country that Nevadans, Republicans and Democrats alike will stand up for Senator Reid.”
“Senator Reid enjoys wide bi-partisan support across this state from Elko to Laughlin. Regardless of party affiliation, the Senator always makes the interests of Nevada his top priority.”– Nevada State Democrats

Regarding eminent domain…

Carson City Mayor Marv Teixeira said Tuesday that eminent domain is a last resort used judiciously for the right reason and it should work out to be a “win-win for both parties.”- Nevada Appeal

[So let me get this straight… according to Mayor Teixeira it can reach a point where eminent domain can be used to steal someone’s property? I mean after all we are talking about using it for commercial purposes right?]

“Some people will hold up an issue strictly for greed. It’s happened before, and it will happen again, but we will look at eminent domain only as a last resort.”- RGJ
[This one cracks me up! As if stealing a man’s property for profit is not greedy…]
Now these are just a few, but you get the idea.

Last night at the Carson School Board meeting Mayor Teixeira dragged us through an ensemble of praises and complements for Superintendent Dr. Pierczynski. The problem isn’t that he stood up for what he believes, the problem is that he believes Carson High School’s failure, at one point or another, to teach students History to the fullest extent is not important enough to demand further investigation. Current evidence indicates it is very possible the school was not teaching antebellum History. Mayor, what part of that do you not understand?

Surely the Carson Mayor deserves a seat in the Harry Reid Publican Club as a part of his “esteemed legacy”.

Eric Odom

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Iraqi Voter to Anti War Bunch: "Go to Hell"

Iraqi Voter to Anti War Bunch: “Go to Hell”
Posted on Wednesday 14 December 2005

"Anybody who doesn’t appreciate what America has done and President Bush, let them go to hell"

– Iraqi Citizen, voter Betty Dawisha

Watershed Vote in Iraq, Big Media Quiet

Watershed Vote in Iraq, Big Media Quiet

Posted on BattleBornNews.com Tuesday 13 December 2005

As we focus on the Christmas Holiday, a watershed event is about to occur in Iraq. The Iraqi people will be voting for the first time under their new constitution. This will be the first constitutionally elected government that Iraq has ever seen and other than Israel, the only one in the Middle East. The strange thing about this is that “Big Media” is surprisingly quiet. They seem to be actually waiting and seeing instead of jumping to early, biased, pessimistic conclusions.

A Constitutional Republic in Iraq is a huge victory for the United States and its allies in the war on terror. I have not heard as much of “Big Media” spreading the typical gloom and doom like they did in previous Iraqi voting periods. Maybe Big Media is starting to shy away from the literary beatings they have been taking from the blogosphere. I think that Big Media is still so “head-in-the-sand” about blogs and the effect blogs have, that they know they are being taken to task for being severely biased and regularly wrong but they continue to be taken by surprise. Often, the Big Media outlets are not upset about being wrong, they are much more upset about being CAUGHT being wrong.

Now even the most obviously biased news networks are passing the information that it is expected that upwards of 90% of the Iraqi population is expected to vote and that the atmosphere is positive about the election and the future. Big Media has been so consistent in their negative message that they have convinced large segments of America, the country known for optimism, that we are not winning the war and things are looking dim. Iraqis who have a first hand perspective on current events in their country are bursting with optimism. This is probably the first time many Iraqis have experienced polls where they are actually ASKED how they feel about something. Instead of being told what to think they are being asked. Saddam did not take polls to see how happy his people were.

I predict that the voting will go smoothly with a few terrorist disruptions as it did during the previous Iraqi votes. Predictably, Big Media will report heavily on the few attacks and not produce the headlines they SHOULD. Headlines should read, “Terrorist Resort to Carbombing as Last Ditch Effort Against Vote”, or “Bombings Ineffective in Influencing Vote.” We can “SHOULD” Big Media all day without having effect. We can HOPE big media will change for the better, but as we said in the Army, “Hope is not a meathod.” I think we are undergoing several paradigm shifts at the same time and one of them is that Blogs will have as big an impact on an individual’s ability to gather, control and distribute information as did the printing press with movable block type. Don’t hope Big Media changes, make it change by gathering information from source documents and alternate news outlets and hold Big Media accountable!

Monday, December 12, 2005

The Code of Conduct

I am an American fighting in the forces that guard my country and our way of life, I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

Should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies.
I will never forget that I am an American fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

The Code of Conduct applies to the U.S. Armed Forces at all times. One would hope that former members of the military would remember even a small portion of "The Code". Many civilians don't realize the commitment and oath taken by the military.

Here the Code of Conduct is here for all to see. While we have soldiers and marines fighting around the world to protect our freedom and way of life, I wonder why members of our own Congress can't at least observe the simple position of making, "... no oral or written statements disloyal to [their] country and its allies.

It seems that many in Congress, including former servicemembers have forgotten their simple oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I urge all who see this to contact their representatives to remind them of the oath they have taken and urge them to follow it.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Military Bloggers Fire it Up

I am very encouraged at how the Internet has influenced the ability of individuals to circumvent the ability of big organizations to “feed” news in a certain slanted way to consumers. I have personal friends who are now serving in harms way in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have had some candid views of their perspective on the ground.

That perspective is quite different than what is projected by establishment media. Now you can get direct access to information straight from the War on Terror. Military personnel have started something that is a new phenomenon…”Milblogging.” The interesting thing is that the military leadership still allows these military blogs to exist even though there are potential dangers. One of the biggest dangers is that of violating OPSEC or operational security that may allow our enemies to take advantage of exposed information that they would not normally be able to access. I was a military commander but at that time did not have to consider a decision on how to handle military blogs since they didn’t exist. Considering milblogs now, I like the fact that troops are able to communicate with the public directly. I would put some supervision on it to protect my units from danger, but I think now as I thought then that the average soldier out there is concious and intelligent enough not to put himself or his fellow soldiers in danger by releasing unauthorized information. The supervision is really for the exceptions (they exist in every unit) who do not use good judgement in disclosing information.

I love the entries that can be accessed directly by anyone willing to put forth the effort to research source material to make informed decisions on issues. Right now “Big Media” regergitates a babyfood version of the facts massaged to render the flavor and texture to further the agenda of the owner or controller of that particular media outlet. I have always pursued the source materials when making a desision on an issue. I wish there were more people out there that would do the same. I think more people should read the source documents which founded the United States. The U.S. Constitution is very readable and straightforward. Too many now use the multitude of opionions rendered by countless lawyers to form their ideas on what is constitutional now. Read the source of it all and form your own opinion!

I remember when the Internet was blossoming in the late 1990’s and having discussions with people as to whether the Internet would be an avenue toward more liberation , or if it would be used to dominate and repress people under the government boot. I think thus far, the Internet has been a liberator. I was following the story of the United Nations trying to gain administrative control of the Internet from the United States and I am very happy that as of now the UN has been unsuccessful.

On to some milblogs. One I recommend you check out is at http://www.mudvillegazette.com/ and see the directness one can find out there. The quote on the banner on the top recounts an adage many a combat soldier has heard and repeated, “Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

The media elites should truely reflect on this statement as they denegrate the U.S. military. A recent effort to emotionally demoralize American military families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons perpetrated by MoveOn.org was debunked by the sharp eyes of some soldiers who realized that the soldiers shown in the propagandized advert were wearing British uniforms. The milbloggers spread the word like wildfire to the point that it reached mainstream media and squelched the intended effects of the definitely anti-American ad put forth by Soros-and-the-gang. The milbloggers are even debunking statements made by a member of our own Congress who said our army is broken and living hand to mouth. One blogger lamented that it is Congress that is broken, but alas NOT living hand to mouth.

I urge everyone to peruse the many military blogs sprouting up and make comments on them. The interactive nature of online content is the reason why print media will continue to move from paper to cyberspace.

Read more on NewsMax.com article here.

Richard Disney is a former U.S. Army Captain and is running for the Nevada State Assembly.

'Milbloggers' Report Real Life Warstories on Web

Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.com
Friday, Dec. 2, 2005

His cyber handle is "Dreadcow" and his "milblog" is entitled, "Fun with Hand Grenades - the mindless ramblings and exploits of a U.S. Army infantryman deployed to Iraq."

Dreadcow is the author/creator of but one of the soaring number of military-focused Internet Web logs - "blogs" or "milblogs" - as online diaries created by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are known. The phenomenon also extends to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines stationed all over the globe, GI family members overseas or maintaining the homefront, and theoccasionall retired military guy or gal.

In a recent entry, Dreadcow reflects, "There are people back in the States who claim we're a horrible country and our political leadership is perverse because we have such a large disparity between the rich and poor. To them I say, come to Iraq.

"Come and see firsthand the men in their pressed business suits talking on cell phones while 10 feet away kids are running around wearing tattered clothing and covered in what is probably a combination of donkey s**t and water.

"Come and see how some houses have tarps for doors and the roofs are made of mud and straw. Come and see how it looks and smells like a garbage truck with a full load tipped over and then magically vanished, leaving rotting food, papers, and God knows what else strewn about the freeways.

"Come see Iraqis sell the meat off of freshly slaughtered sheep in the sun. Come drive your car down the road where you'll get sick to your stomach after hitting 10 potholes within two minutes, then realizing you're in the paved part of town ..."

Milblogging.com, which has been charting the phenomenon for some time, currently has registered 815 military blogs in 22 countries. It wasn't long ago that the number was just 50.

Some of the names are colorful enough: "MY WAR: Killing Time in Iraq," "Who's Your Baghdaddy?" "Combat Medic in Iraq," "Middle of Nowhere and Two Feet from Hell," and "Desert Odyssey."

While the quality of the milblogs ranges from crude to bell-and-whistle professional, they mostly follow the same mold. Essentially, they are diaries of the servicemen and service women, and as the months in the overseas tour pass, older entries are consolidated in an archive. There are generally plenty of pics posted, links to other milblogs favored by the amateur journalist-in-uniform, and a way for the reader to e-mail comments.

Many of the postings by the milbloggers are humorous or rough-hewn stories about the routine life at their bases, but others bring the reader face-to-face with heated military operations or the bloody gore at aid stations and hospitals - often just hours after the fact.

As could be imagined, it is this latter genre of blogging that causes the brass concern. Recall the embarrassment suffered by the Department of Defense when military bloggers posted some of the now infamous pictures of Abu Ghraib detainees.

In October, DoD promulgated new advisories to soldiers about posting personal stories and pictures from combat zones. Specifically prohibited was releasing information detailing job responsibilities and posting pictures of the aftermath of insurgent attacks or roadside bombs.

This latest advisory to the field followed on the heels of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker's memo this past summer to unit commanders telling them to take the issue more seriously:

"The enemy aggressively 'reads' our open source and continues to exploit such information for use against our forces. Some soldiers continue to post sensitive information to Internet Web sites and blogs ... Such OPSEC [operational security] violations needlessly place lives at risk and degrade the effectiveness of our operations."

Perhaps the most onerous regulation to come down the pike, however, is the current requirement for milbloggers to register their sites with commanding officers, who have been given the authority to pull them from Cyberspace if deemed detrimental to OPSEC.

The requirement goes back to April, when Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, commander of multinational forces in Iraq, issued a memorandum ordering personnel stationed in Iraq to record their Web sites with their chains of command - and report any contributions to other Web sites as well.

The Vine memo further prohibited posting of certain classes of information, including casualty information before the next of kin has been notified, information protected by the Privacy Act, matters that are the subject of ongoing investigations, and information designated as "for official use only."

The registration requirement linchpinchpin to the more rigorous approach that has been building up steam since last February when Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody in a memo to the field called for "a more aggressive attitude toward protecting friendly information":

"It is critical to remind our people that the negligent or unauthorized release of sensitive photos is a serious threat to our forces. Leaders are encouraged to remind all personnel that the enemy will exploit sensitive photos showing the results of IED strikes, battle scenes, casualties, destroyed or damaged equipment, and enemy KIAs as propaganda and terrorist training tools.

"For example, annotated photos of an Abrams tank penetrated by an RPG are easily found on the Internet. Inform your personnel that we could unwittingly magnify enemy capabilities simply by exchanging photos with friends, relatives, or by publishing them on the Internet or other media."

One soldier serving in Iraq learned first hand how seriously the military takes OPSEC violations by milbloggers.

Pfc. Leonard Clark, an Arizona National Guard member, this past summer got hammered at a non-judicial punishment session by his commanding officer in the 860th Military Police Company.

Leonard Clark was found guilty of 11 counts of failing to obey orders and two counts of reckless endangerment because material he put up on a blog violated regulations about posting information deemed sensitive to Army operations or movements.

Clark was demoted from specialist to private first class, fined $1,640, and further awarded restriction and extra duties.

The Clark experience aside, some milbloggers in the field express some surprise that Uncle Sam still allows digital cameras in the field and has not outright nixed soldierly diaries from the Web.

But soldiers don't leave their Constitutional right to free speech at the barrack's door. Furthermore, prior restraint is the most sensitive of free speech issues.

"Bloggers are free to discuss a fairly broad range of topics, give their opinions on virtually anything, as long as they don't violate obvious security/personal info concerns," points out milblogger "Greyhawk," who along with his wife produces MudvilleGazette.com.

The logo motto of the Mudville Gazette says that it is the "on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow."